Life with a Tail
by MadMax17
Summary: Set during the Cell saga, read as a young Saiyan girl gets her only family taken away and learns to fight not only for herself, but for others as well. Includes my OC named Sarada.
1. Chapter 1

Sighing, I stretch my arms over my head hearing my spine crack. The final bell of the day just chimed and I was excited to get back to the lookout. The day had been exhausting, which was ridiculous! It was the day before summer break and the teachers kept going on and on about what we'd do when we got back.

My tail twitched in excitement where I kept it hidden, wrapped around my waist under a big t shirt as I thought of going home. I had been hoping Mr. Kami, my guardian, would be willing to train me a bit more today.

I packed up my school bag, waving a small farewell to a few classmates and faculty members. Trying my best to avoid the glares of teachers who knew of my less than perfect grades, I left campus.

Beginning the long walk to the lookout, I looked toward the sky thinking a mile a minute. Mr. Kami had told me he wanted to tell me something important today, whatever that may be I was really excited. He seemed pretty anxious about it this morning, I hope its nothing bad. It's been almost fifteen years since Mr. Kami found me on one of his rare trips off of the lookout, but he hasn't really told me much about how he found me. I mean, it's obvious I'm not related to him what with my long black hair and eyes, as well as a lack of green skin. But I wasn't sure what he might need to tell me.

I walked swiftly making sure not to move too quickly. Mr. Kami always tells me I have to make sure not to show any of my power around the public, not many have the abilities I do. I always shrugged when he reminded me of this but promised not to make my capabilities known.

I finally stop below the lookout. Taking a peek around me, I make sure nobody would witness and I flew up, landing silently on the platform. When I land I'm greeted with the sight of Mr. Kami as well as his counterpart, Piccolo, standing beside a very sad looking Mr. Popo. Taking in the scene before me, I notice the tension in the air, it's nearly palpable. My smile falls and I drop my school bag on the pristine white tiles of the lookout

Mr. Kami turned toward me, and smiled in the way only an extremely wise man could. "Hello, Sarada. How was school?" he asked kindly.

"It was fine, luckily it's over now. I won't have to go back for a few months, what's going on?" I say.

Kami laughs a bit at that and ignores my question. "I thought you loved school."

"Oh, I do! But this way I'll get to see more of you and I'll get to train more often," I reply. "Now please Mr. Kami, why does everyone seem so upset?"

His face loses its smile, and he turns to Piccolo. He simply nods, and motions for me to follow him to speak in private. We walk toward the fountain Mr. Kami kept on the lookout and he's quiet for several seconds.

"Mr. Kami, what's wrong?" I ask. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Sarada," he says gently. "There are times we must do things for the greater good, that may hurt those we care about. This is one of those times." He looks at me sadly.

"What...what are you talking about Mr. Kami?" I ask. "What's going on?"

He goes on to explain to me the disaster that taken the world by storm. An awful combination of biology and technology and the only way to even have a chance to stop it lies in Kami giving up his body, his freedom, to Piccolo.

"No," I whisper. And then go on to shout, "no no no no no! You can't do that, I'll fight! I'm strong enough, I can help protect earth! You don't have to do this!"

He smiles warmly at me. "It warms my heart to know you care but I haven't trained you properly enough. If you were to fight as you are now you'd die. I've always been lenient with that, I never wanted to risk hurting you. I regret that now, there's so much left i wish to teach you but I'm out of time. I need to do this."

Tears well up in my eyes. "But Mr. Kami, what will happen to you? What about the dragon balls? What if this doesn't work?"

"The dragon balls will not exist anymore, and I'm not sure what we'll do if this doesn't work. We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there."

"But what about that Goku guy you're always telling me about, he can help," I say, pleadingly.

"Unfortunately, Goku is in no position to assist us. This may be our last chance."

"Hurry up old man, we don't have time for this," Piccolo shouts toward us, gruffly.

I glare at him before putting my head in my hands and tears stream down my face. My body is shaking and Mr. Kami gently put his hand on my shoulder. I look up at him.

"Please don't cry, Sarada. I know this is hard for you, but its what right. It needs to be done," he says, smiling warmly. The poor, sweet, loving old fool would do anything to defend earth's people, he's willing to give up everthing.

He turns away from me and walks towards Piccolo, determination in every step. Mr. Popo comes to stand near me, and he's crying too. I lay my head on his chest, I can't bear to watch and only see a bright flash of light through my eyelids.

I can feel it, he's not gone just...different. His and Piccolo's ki signature have become one, altering both to become its own. I turn back and see him stare at his body strangely. I'm holding Mr. Popo's hand tightly, if I don't I'm afraid I'll lose any sense of composure I have left.

The new Kami-ccilo walks to the edge of the lookout and pushes ki into the bottom of his feet, taking off.

I fall to my knees and wrap my arms around myself, my body wracked with sobs. Mr. Popo wraps his arm around my shoulder and let's his own tears fall freely.

This pain takes up a special place in my heart, one that won't ever heal. It'll leave a mark, similar to a scar, that I'll carry for the rest of my life.

I look at the sky in the direction the Namek flew away and feel a certain resolve take over. I turn to Mr. Popo. He sniffles and looks at me.

"I need to go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," I say suddenly while wiping tears from my face.

He seems taken aback, and looks as if he'll outright refuse me before softly sighing.

"Are you certain? You know what could happen," he says.

I nod stiffly. He rises from his place on the floor beside me and I follow suit. As we walk toward the chamber he begins telling me of things I don't quite understand, the things Mr. Kami was supposed to tell me today.

"What exactly is a Saiyan?" I ask.

He places a finger on his crimson lips, trying to think of the best way to explain. "A warrior race, they used to conquer entire planets within days. On nights where the moon would be full, if they look upon it they transform into a large ape," he said trying to remember everything Kami had told him. "They were wiped out a while ago, and only a few remain."

"Where are the others?" I ask. "Do they know I'm alive? Where can I find them?"

"There are a few alive here on earth," he says. "We don't know if there are any others out there in space, but we don't think so."

"Can I meet them sometime?" I ask.

He nods. "If you'd like, I can introduce you to them soon."

I nod and breathe deeply trying to keep my wits about me. I have an entire year to deal with this information in the time chamber, I'll think about it in detail then.

Mr. Popo opens the door and my palms begin to sweat. I've never been in there before, Mr. Kami strictly forbade it being used as a tool for my training. But ive heard of all the things it can do to people, and i know its hard to stay in there for a lot period of time.

But he's not here anymore, and I need the strength only this time could give me.

"Are you certain you want this?" Mr. Popo asks. "You don't have to do this."

"But I do," I respond softly. "If not for him, then for me."

Mr. Popo nods and bows a little as I step past him into the room. He closes the door slowly and surely behind me.

Hey there guys, please review ! 3 3

Sarada is an OC of mine, I'd be happy to draw her so you can see what she looks like just let me know if you want that and I'll include a link to my deviantart where you can find her! Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

A year is a long damn time in the middle of nowhere while having an existential crisis. When the door clicks shut behind me I close my eyes and breathe deeply.

"Be strong," I whisper to myself. "Be strong for him."

The air feels heavy and hard to breathe, like its coating my throat in tar, the gravity is certainly bracing, if not overwhelming. My body feels like lead making it difficult to even walk properly, and I wonder how the hell I'm gonna train in here. The temperature changes so frequently I can't even get used to it before it alters. One minute I'm sweating buckets and the next I'm shivering.

I let my tail swish behind me and wonder if this is one of many things my warrior race bestowed upon me. Im curious why I was left on earth and what the other Saiyans are doing there now. Did my people not want me? Did they somehow sense the destruction of the planet and send me away for my safety? Did I have parents and if so did they care for me?

I shake my head and look around trying to find some semblance of calm, I take note of the small area for dining and and a couple of beds lie next to each other opposite the dining area. A refrigerator lies next to a small counter with plenty of food for the year lying in cupboards and on shelves, along it sits a small table with chairs. I wander and see a room with a tub for bathing.

I return to the area with the beds and reach my hand, gently caressing the sheets. They're soft, like silk.

I walk barefoot to the edge of the platform and look around, finding nothing but a white void. No wonder Mr. Kami never let me in here, the place could drive the most battle hardened soldier mad. I want to return, I really am desperate to, but know that to leave this room would be admitting defeat, just proving to Kami I'm too weak to help him and Piccolo fight. That he was right about my inability.

I clench my hands into fists and prepare for a year of solitude, turning my body into the weapon it needs to be. I need to strengthen myself so I can prove to Kami I can be a warrior too.

 _I'll be useful Mr. Kami, I promise I can help._

Training by yourself can be both a good and bad thing, there are pros and cons.

First pro: nobody is there to weigh you down.

First con: nobody's there to pick you up when you fall.

As the days go by my muscles, though sore, are getting more defined as well as much more strong. But it seems as though it's getting harder to get out of bed everyday, it's harder to remember who I am and what I'm doing this for, the solitude presses into my heart and makes me ache. The hardest part of this has been having to get through my grief alone, not having Mr. Popo here to comfort me and I would do the same in return. I wonder how the poor genie's doing, if he's holding up ok.

Pro: no distractions when I need to meditate or train.

Con: nobody to talk to or laugh with around the dinner table.

I sigh while I pick at my food and look around myself, as if expecting somebody to be there. Suddenly footsteps sound in the void. I jump up, spilling my food to the floor and knocking my chair over with a loud thud.

I rush out to find them, find whoever is in here with me. I want, no need, to find the one who can help keep me from madness.

Running onto the white emptiness, the temperature skyrockets and sweat pours down my face. Flames dance around my body, twisting as I shift my position.

I listen intensely, the only sound is my heavy breathing. I scream and the fire encloses itself around my body, and never have I been closer to the breaking point than I was then.

Pro: plenty of time to grow stronger, to defend the world Mr. Kami loved so much.

Con: what's the point?

As I push myself up from where I collapsed, my legs shake and muscles scream out in protest. I ask myself the same question daily, why am I even trying to do this? And I have to constantly remind myself that Kami gave himself up for this world, damnit. He believed in everything the people of it could accomplish. He lived for them, their dreams and aspirations as well as their pain and fears were his own.

That's what gives me the strength to get myself up out of bed everyday, not for me or even Kami, but for them. For the people he believed in, and now I must believe in them too.

And so I think, as I lift myself up on one arm and lower myself down slowly, that they'd better be damn worth it. And I smile because they are.


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't wrong when I said a year was a long time, but it's over and I couldn't be more thankful. My time spent training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber gave me a lot of time to strengthen my mind as well as my body. I'm confident in my abilities to fight against this thing Mr. Kami had been so afraid of as well as my ability to live without him.

Stepping toward the door, I braced myself. In a strange way, I'd grown fond of the solitude I had here, being able to meditate alone or just sit with nothing but my memories of Kami to keep me company.

I stop in front of the door and clench my hands into fists. Am I really ready for this? What will I say? What will I do?

I clear my throat and try to talk. "H-hello." My voice comes out raspy and I go to drink a few glasses of water before trying again. "Hello." It's better, but I don't quite sound like myself. I haven't heard myself talk in months, my ears more accustomed to silence than anything else.

I sigh and reach for the door handle, peeking my head out of the chamber I look around slowly. Mr. Popo comes rushing up to me smiling and I fall back into a fighting stance. He stops suddenly, hurt in his eyes.

"Sarada," he says softly. "Are you OK?"

I nod stiffly and try to keep from crying. Man, I missed this lovable genie.

"H-hi Mr. Popo," I say hoarsely. I clear my throat before trying to speak again. "Sorry, I was just...um, a bit startled." I laugh and it sounds strange.

He walks up to me slowly and reaches a hand out timidly. I let him place it on my arm and he smiles up at me. "You've grown," he says fondly. I look down at myself and realize for the first time I'm a few inches taller than I had been a year ago, the top of his head only coming to the bottom of my neck.

I grin. "I better have," I say and before I know it I'm laughing and hugging him tightly. He's returning my embrace and crying.

When we finally separate he smiles at me. "I have a gift for you," he says. "I prepared it while you were in the chamber."

I tilt my head in confusion. "I was only gone a day, what could you have made?"

He laughs. "I made it a while ago, but I wasn't sure when to give it to you. I know that now is the best time," he says.

He smiles happily and holds out a thin box to me. I take it carefully and pull off the top, revealing white tissue paper. Pulling out the noisy intrusion I stop dead.

Inside lies a folded white gi, with Kami's kanji printed in red on the front. I blink quickly for fear of more tears falling and look up at Mr. Popo.

"I love it," I say hoarsely. "Thank you. M-may I go put it on?"

He nods eagerly and takes back the empty box. "I'm so happy you like it miss."

I retreat to the room that had been given to me on the lookout so long ago. Not much furniture took up space: merely a bed I rarely slept on, a dresser holding clothes and a desk for my schoolwork. I smiled a bit to myself, I missed this space, my own space.

I quickly put the gi on and look down at myself. The white fabric fits tightly around my waist with a red sash to keep it secure and remained loose and comfortable around my legs and abdomen. It covers my upper shoulders, leaving my arms free to move, hell there's even a small hole around my bottom to fit my tail through. Kami's symbol takes up most of my chest and fills me with pride. I pull on a pair of dark blue boots and leave my room.

Mr. Popo looks at me and smiles warmly. He holds out a large piece of fabric and motions for me to turn around. I comply, confused, and within seconds I have a dark blue cape wrapped around my shoulders. "He'd be so proud to see you wearing that," he says softly, wiping a tear from his face.

I bow deeply. "Thank you for this honor sir," I say.

I rise and smile at him, and gently place a hand on his shoulder. He nods and sniffles, wiping his eyes. Breathing deeply I walk toward the edge of the platform and Mr. Popo follows me, silently.

"What do you plan to do?" he asks.

"I'm not sure," I respond. "But I have to do something."

He nods before looking off toward something in the sky. I can feel it too, four incredibly strong power levels are flying toward us, ki signatures I'm unfamiliar with. I push Mr. Popo behind me and prepare as I see them fly closer and land softly on the white tile.

One of them has violet hair and a dark blue jacket, and another that resembles him has long black hair that sticks straight up. The other two have black hair and eyes as well but they seem much kinder than the shorter man, whose glare and high nose make him seem pompous.

The one in an orange gi smiles at me warmly. "Why hello there," he says. "And who are you?" I stay silent and he tilts his head confused. "What's wrong, can't you talk?"

The youngest of the bunch looks at me, but speaks to the orange-clad fighter. "No daddy, I think she's just scared." He walks toward me and bows in greeting. "Hello, I'm Gohan. And that's my father, his name is Goku."

"I'm not scared of anything," I shout and they fall back a step. I swallow and try to remember my manners. I bow and clear my throat before speaking. "My apologies, my name is Sarada," I say.

The violet haired man walks forward as well. "I'm Trunks, and that," he points toward the only silent one, "is my father, Vegeta."

"H-hello," I respond softly.

"Anywho, since we've gotten introductions outta the way," Goku says kindly. "Whatcha doing here?"

"Oh," I say. "I live here."

He's silent for a few seconds before laughing loudly, his eyes wide. "Oh so you mean, you're staying for a few days or something? You come to help Popo garden or something?"

"No," I say. "I've lived here my whole life. And Mr. Popo would never need help with the gardening, he's superb at it."

Goku stops and stares at me, confusion etched across his face. Gohan decides to talk for him. "I'm sorry, Sarada was it?" I nod. "He's a bit surprised, honestly I am too. We didn't know Kami had anyone living with him except Mr. Popo."

"He told me he didn't want me getting mixed up in all the fighting that you guys do, but I've been told about you," I say. "Its an honor to meet all of you."

"Well, what the story?" Trunks asks. "How did you get here?"

"Oh well, Mr. Kami found me as an infant," I say, relaying the story he'd told me many times before. "He didn't want me to end up dying alone so he was kind enough to raise me."

"What about your family?" Gohan asks, sadly.

I think for a few seconds. "Him, Piccolo and Mr. Popo are the only family I've ever had, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm happy here."

Vegeta scoffs at this. "Yeah I bet it was great bringing the Namek to meet your friends. Oh and what about parent teacher conferences? Honestly, you're better off now that he's gone," he says before walking past me, bumping into my shoulder. I grab his arm with my tail angrily.

"You take that back now, you bastard," I growl harshly, squeezing his arm painfully. He looks down at his arm, no, he's looking at my tail.

He glares at me, angrily. "Get your damn tail off me female, before I rip it off. And while you're at it, tell me why the hell you have one."

Gohan looks at me giddily. "Oh wow, are you a Saiyan too? I didn't even notice."

I turn to him and release Vegeta's arm. "What do you mean 'too'?"

"Oh wow," says Goku. "Another Saiyan, and this one's a girl! Say Trunks, you think she's cute?" He laughs while lightly tapping Trunks with his elbow. Red works its way up his neck to his face, but he stays silent and stares at the ground.

"Whoa whoa wait, I'm confused. Are you saying...you're all…" I stop.

Goku laughs. "Well, sorta. Together we all make three complete Saiyans."

Gohan rolls his eyes, smiling at his father. "Me and Trunks here are only half Saiyan. But Vegeta and my father are pure blooded-"

"Yes," Vegeta interrupts. "I'm the pure blooded Saiyan prince and as such I demand to know where you've come from and how you're still alive!"

I shake my head. "I don't know, I didn't even find out I was a Saiyan until a day ago," I say.

He growls and grabs me by my throat, holding me against one of the pillars on the lookout. "Don't you lie to me, you couldn't have thought you were human all this time!"

"I-I'm n...not lying," I gasp. "I knew I-I wasn't hu...human but I didn't know...wh-what I was."

He growls and tightens his grip on my throat.

"Uhh Vegeta," Goku says, timidly. "Don't you want to train to beat Cell?"

He growls before letting go of me and barking at Mr. Popo to show him to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I cough roughly and grab my throat.

"I'm sorry about him," Trunks says, checking to make sure I'm alright. "He's just a bit surprised. As far as he knew we," he motions to the group "were the only Saiyans left."

I nod. "It's fine, I'll live. Tell him to be more polite to Mr. Popo though. I'll be damned if anyone treats him like that, even if the bastard is a prince."

Trunks laughs at this and smiles. "Of course. Well, I'd better go before he attacks me next."

As if on cue we hear the dear, sweet Prince shout out, "Boy get back here before I leave you!"

Trunks waves at us all. "Good luck," I say. _You're gonna need it._

The door closes with a quiet click. Mr. Popo walks up to me quickly and tries to inspect my neck. "Are you alright?" Gohan asks.

"Yeah, it doesn't really hurt," I say, pushing away Mr. Popo's hands gently.

"You seemed confused when you found out we were Saiyans," Gohan says. "And you said that you only just found out you were one. Why didn't Kami tell you?"

I shrug. "I never had a burning need to know, so I didn't really ask about my tail that often. And whenever I would ask, he just said he'd tell me when I was a bit older."

"Why do you think that is?" he asks.

"Probably to keep me from trying to join your fights," I say, smiling. "I adored Mr. Kami but I was a bit of a rebel. I did my best to obey but I guess I'm a fighter at heart."

"So, I noticed the marking on your gi," Goku says. "Has Kami been training you?"

I swallow thickly. "He used to," I say softly. "Only after I talked him into it."

"Oh, and how'd that go?" Goku asks while laughing.

I chuckle a bit and respond, "a lot of coaxing, begging and promises. But I finally got him to let me learn to fight. He was always pretty protective of me, so he was reluctant." I lose my smile and stare the ground.

Goku rests a strong hand on my shoulder gently. "How are you holding up?"

I grin up at the taller male. "I've had a whole year to come to terms with it, I'm fine," I say.

He looks confused and counts off something on his hands. Gohan sighs and whispers "the time chamber" to him.

Goku gasps. "You were in there a whole year?!" I nod, smiling a bit. "About."

"W-well how was it?"

My smile fades and all I can say is, "intense."

Everybody's quiet for a few minutes before Gohan breaks the silence. "So, what was growing up with Kami like?"

I look at the sky, watching clouds slowly drift with the wind. "Well, I don't know. I assume it's like growing up with any parental figure. We both cared for each other deeply and we confided in each other when we needed to," I say.

"How long had he been training you?" he asked. "About eight years," I respond.

"Wow," Gohan says. "That's incredible. You must be super strong."

I shrug, my face red. "I guess."

"Well, that must-" he stops short and looks at something off of the lookout.

I sense it too. Kami, Piccolo, whatever! He's fighting something, something strong. I clench my hands into fists.

"Do you guys feel that?" Gohan asks.

I nod silently and Goku says something in affirmation. I gulp. Piccolo had damn sure better be able to beat this...whatever it was he's fighting.

"Dad, come on," Gohan says. "We have to go help him!"

"No Gohan, we can't. If we go out there now we'll be nothing but dead weight," he says sternly. "We have to wait for Vegeta and Trunks."

"But...but dad!" Gohan shouts. "What if he can't win?"

"Come on Goku," I say. "We can help him get out of there if we need to, at least. He doesn't have to fight alone."

"No, we need to wait and see what happens," he says sternly. "We aren't even sure if Piccolo can't handle it. Have more faith in him." He smiles warmly at me.

I cross my arms over my chest and dig my nails into my biceps, staring off of the lookout in the general direction of the battle.

This argument of theirs goes on for minutes, and then hours. And all I can do is stand here trying to tune it out and concentrate on Piccolo's ki signature. Suddenly, it plummets. I gasp and the wind blows harshly, black hair and blue fabric billowing behind me. I grit my teeth and growl.

 _Damn it, he's losing! Come on...come on..._


	4. Chapter 4

There are lots of moments I'll remember very thoroughly, and the feeling of Piccolo's ki signature dropping so drastically is on the top of that list. Gohan and Goku argue a bit more about everything and all I can do is stand on the edge of the lookout and try to remember how to breathe.

Another ki signature shows up and skyrocketed before plummeting as well, but the details remain hazy, I hadn't been paying too much attention to that. Goku grit his teeth before disappearing suddenly, the air in the spot he had been in electrified with energy. My eyes widen and Gohan turns to me.

He sighed deeply, scratching his head irritatedly. "That's called Instant Transmission. He thinks of a place and he can transport there."

I nod. "But why is he-" I stop when Goku reappears, with too limp forms draped over him.

"Piccolo!" Gohan and I shout in unison.

"Gohan, I need you to go to Korin's place and grab a couple senzu beans, quickly," Goku says. Gohan nods before taking off.

I kneel besides Piccolo and put my hand over his wound. _Crap!_ His breathing is shallow, practically nonexistent. His blood stains my skin a deep violet and my hands won't stop shaking damnit…

"Sarada," Goku say softly. I look at him. Why is everything so blurry? "Sarada, I need to give him a senzu bean."

I nod and my chin trembles. Gohan places a comforting hand in mine and squeezes, we both watch silently as Goku places the bean in between Piccolo's lips. Piccolo chews and swallows slowly. I watch as the hole in his chest closes, his purple blood drying and blending in with his gi. His eyes open slowly and take in the scene around him.

Gohan and I both release a large puff of air and laugh shakily, squeezing each others hand.

Piccolo sits up carefully and looks at Gohan, putting a hand on the young Saiyan's head, he smiles a bit. Gohan's eyes tear up but he doesn't let them fall.

I sit in silent joy, Kami isn't gone. He's OK. I then remember, he's not Kami anymore. The Namek I knew isn't the same, and with that thought fresh pain fills my chest, as if the whole year I spent getting over this hadn't happened, the wound was still raw. I drop Gohan's hand and step back a few feet.

Piccolo turns towards me and I flinch. I look at the ground stiffly and clench my hands into fists. Suddenly, a warm hand is set upon my head and I look up quickly. I see Kami in his face, and hear him in his voice as he says, "everything's OK Sarada. I'm proud of you."

Tears well up in my eyes and my body shakes as I try to contain myself. He smiles warmly at me and I rush forward, wrapping my arms around his waist. He awkwardly place his hands on my shoulders and my tears fall. "I'm sorry Kami, I'm so sorry. I went into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. But...but I-"

He places a finger on my lips to silence me and his eyes shine. "I know. It's alright, I knew you would do it someday. I was always trying so hard to be gentle when training you, but I'm glad you've become so strong. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Suddenly a large, flying machine with the Capsule Corp logo lands down on the lookout, and he jumps back, a scowl fresh on his face. A young woman with bright blue hair and an infant with a tail get out.

"Hi guys," she says. "I have a surprise for all of you." She pulls something out of her pocket, clicks it and throws it to the floor. A large crate pops out and she goes on to talk about armor she made and how it should fit everyone perfectly. She looks at me suddenly and frowns. "Who are you?" She notices my tail and gasps. "Oh wow another Saiyan! Oh and it's a girl! Hey, do you think Trunks would like her?" she says to Goku and he laughs.

I gulp and wave a small hello. I look at the baby in her arms and she smiles. "My name is Bulma and this is my little baby boy Trunks."

"Uh..but isn't Trunks..?" I start.

"It's a long story but the Trunks you've met already is from the future," she says. "He came back to help us fight the androids."

"Uh...huh," I say. My head hurts.

I walk over to the baby and he coos. "Hello," I say softly, reaching out a hand which he grips tightly. "How are you?" He babbles on and drools in the way only a baby could make adorable and I smile. "He's cute."

Bulma smiles proudly. "Isn't he? Oh what do you think of the other Trunks, quite a looker right?" she says.

I flush scarlet. "I suppose, um he's attractive?"

Someone clears their throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt your girl time but just thought you'd like to know, Vegeta and Trunks will be coming out in a few minutes," a man with three eyes says.

I nod and walk with the two other Saiyans to greet them as they exit. The three eyed man looks at me strangely before Piccolo pulls him aside and explains about me.

I look toward the door of the chamber and watch the knob turn, holding my breathe.

The first to step out is Trunks, his hair having gotten significantly longer and his gaze intense as he looks at me. He's silent for several second, just glaring at me and I smile at him awkwardly. "So, how was it?"

He shakes his head and blinks a few times before speaking softly, looking at the ground. "Intense."

He goes to greet the others and I watch Vegeta step past the doorway. "Oh look, a walking-talking Napoleon complex," I say loud enough for everyone to hear. They laugh a bit and Vegeta smirks at me.

"Mock me all you want female," he says, smugly. "But I've reached a power beyond your ability to comprehend. I have risen past the powers of a super saiyan and have reached legend. Now prepare to b-"

I tilt my head in confusion. "What's a super saiyan?" I ask, interrupting him.

He drops the bravado and a look of astonishment take over. "H-how do you...you're a Saiyan! How do you not know of the legend?"

I shrug. "I'll tell you again, I just found out what I am. I don't know anything about Saiyans other than we can turn into big monkeys cuz of these." I lift my tail. I look behind him, then at the back of the other Saiyans in turn. "Wait, am I the only one with a tail other than the baby? Is it because I'm a female? Do they just fall off the guys?"

Vegeta growls. "You're an idiot!" he yells. I glare at him as he continues. "What the hell would make you-"

Goku places a hand over Vegeta's mouth and smiles at me. "We've all had our tails removed in the past. But we are all born with one." He laughs.

Vegeta bites Goku's hand and he yelps. "Don't you touch me like that Kakarot! I won't stand for it!"

"Isn't it time you took off?" Piccolo asks, sarcastically. "Don't you have somebody to show all this power to?"

Vegeta smirks. "Of course, green man. I'll prove to you all that I don't need Kakarot or anyone else to take down a big bug," he says while getting ready to fly off.

"Wait," Bulma shouts. "I made armor for you guys!"

Vegeta clears his throat awkwardly and walks over to where she's handing it out and dresses quickly with Trunks.

"Now," he says. "Now I will go and show you what a true Saiyan can do." He flies off quickly.

Trunks sighs before following him, waving a quick farewell as he leaves.

"Well I guess it's mine and Gohan's turn huh?" Goku says as he walks toward the time chamber. "Oh, yeah," he looks at me. "Maybe you should go with them."

My eyes widen and Piccolo jumps in, with Kami's voice. "Are you insane? This is too great a threat for her to deal with. She's not ready." Hearing him say that makes my chest tighten up a bit, in gratitude and anger.

Goku smiles a bit. "Yes, but how is she ever going to get any stronger if she doesn't join a real battle? Besides, Trunks and Vegeta can handle Cell, she can watch over the Androids."

I turn to Piccolo. "Mr. Kami," I say softly. "I've worked really hard and I know I can do this. I don't need to be protected."

He sighs and looks away. He stays silent for several seconds before replying, "fine, but be careful."

I smile widely. "I will sir, I promise," I say. He doesn't look back at me and I sigh.

Goku and Gohan wave goodbye as the door closes behind them, and I fly off following Trunks ki signature with dark blue billowing behind me.

I fly up to find Trunks and Vegeta floating in front of a...creature. I have really no words for how I feel seeing him. Its shoulders were wide and its skin was a sickly shade of green unlike the beautiful emerald of Piccolo's and Kami's bodies, black spots litter his flesh. His face looked flat and his expression was smug, his light purple lips turned up in a smirk.

I felt like throwing up.

I flew low, trying to find an opening, maybe if I caught him off guard I could attack. I look around the ground for a place to land and see three bodies. Flying cautiously toward them I see one is a beautiful young woman and another is a large man with a red mohawk...and half his head blown off. I reason that those two must be the androids Goku spoke of. I also see a short, bald man with red cheeks, metal and circuit boards littered across the floor by his foot.

I land next to the group and their eyes turn toward me, they look scared. Are these really the big, bad androids? The blonde looks like an angel, a frightened, timid angel. The man with red hair looks like he's in pain, real pain, but he's still protective of the blonde, much in the way an older brother would be.

"Uhh..who a-are you?" the small bald one asks. "Listen this place isn't safe for civilians, you need to get out of here."

"My name is Sarada I live on the lookout with Kami. I can explain more later but I'm not a civilian. I've come to help," I say quickly.

He looks confused. "Oh um...OK? I'm uh.. I'm Krillin."

I nod and turn to the others. "You're the androids, yes?" Krillin adds an affirmative. I put my hands on my hips. "Well, then why are you still here? From what I've been told he needs to absorb one of you and become stronger and, I assume, we don't want that. So we should get going."

Suddenly Trunks screams down at us. "Krillin, Sarada! Cell knows where you are, run!" and he chases after the green creature to keep him off of us.

"Well then, looks like this introduction has been cut short, time for you to run off girlie," I say, shooing her away.

She looks angry. "Well, what do you expect we do? It's not like we can fly out of here with him like this," she says while pointing at the large red-haired man.

"Easy," I say, shrugging. "Leave him with me."

She glares at me and spits. "As if I'd do anything like that. How do I know you won't just kill him while I'm gone?"

"You'll have to trust me," I reason, gritting my teeth. "My job right now isn't to take the two of you out, my job is to keep Cell from doing so."

"But what abo-" she start.

"Oh would you shut up and leave," I shout. "You need to get out of here. I can only protect him if you don't distract me!"

She growls and the other android speaks to her. "Eighteen, we don't have time for this," he says, sparks flying from his cranium. "You must leave. I will be alright."

"But Sixteen-!" she starts.

"No, you are the one Cell wants. Now go!"

She growls and runs off, with Krillin hot on her heels. I sigh deeply and walk over to Sixteen.

"Hello," I say gently. "Do you think you can walk? This place isn't safe."

"Leave me," he says, staring up at a group of songbirds sitting on a branch. "I'm not worth saving with the damage I have."

I look at him sternly. "No, I'm not going to leave you." He looks as if he's about to argue again before I interrupt him. "If you're really that concerned, come with me. Or I'm going to stay here all day." I lean against the mountain he's sitting by to prove my point.

He growls before finally giving in. "Fine, but we must hurry. Go after Eighteen, we must keep her safe." He tries to get up and ends up almost falling back down. I catch him easily and hold him up, letting him lean heavily on me.

We start off toward the direction Eighteen and Krillin took off in, and try to get their before Cell can.

I'm pretty much limping at this point, Sixteen adding a lot of extra weight to one side, but we are making good time. She's only a few meters ahead of us when Cell jumps out of the ground and Trunks flies over to stop him. Vegeta suddenly kicks him into the side of a mountain and they begin arguing.

I feel Android 16 move against me, trying to get to her, but having difficulty. I set him down gently.

"I have to go help her," he says.

"No, I will. You stay here," I respond.

"You can't possibly be strong enough!" he shouts after me as I run up to Cell. I shout back with a "neither are you", laughing a bit. My first real fight, I'm a bit more giddy than I should be.

I watch Krillin get kicked away from the blonde angel and I start jabbing at the sickly green creature's body.

I get punched in the face and fly back into a mountain, rubble flying everywhere. I'm up within a few seconds and flying up to him, throwing punches and kicks, few actually hitting. He grunts and kicks me up into the air before flying up and throwing me back down into the ground. He flies over and grabs me out by the hair, placing his foot in the middle of my back, keeping me in place as he grabs my tail.

I instantly feel any strength I had shrivel away as he holds onto it tightly, grinning. I grit my teeth and do my best not to cry or pass out.

He tightens his grip and my vision blurs. He begins tugging on it roughly, I feel the muscles twist and tear. I scream in agony, the pain so overwhelming I can barely breathe.

He uses both hands to get a good grip on the dark brown fur and bends my tail in half. The crack is sickening, the pain unbearable as I claw at the ground to try to get away and my vision blura.

Cell gets thrown off me suddenly and my tail falls to the ground with a thud, kicking up dirt. I look up and see Trunks fighting him in the sky, trying to give us time to get Android 18 away.

I do my best to lift myself up and walk as quickly as I can to her, blood trickling from my arms and legs from our little skirmish. I grit my teeth as I try not to pass out. This is so not what I had planned for my first fight.

"Come on," I pant, grabbing Eighteen quickly. "We have to go."

"Oh, that is it," we hear Cell shout, flying upward. "I'm finishing this now. Solar flare!"

White encompasses my vision, and I close my eyes quickly. I'm blind, everyone is. I push Android 18 behind me, against a mountain, but I know I can't do much more than try to hide her body with mine. I grit my teeth, waiting for any indication that he's coming.

I hear light footsteps, but I can't tell where they're coming from, the bastard was hiding his energy. Android 18 whimpers behind me, and I know he must be closing in. I fall into a fighting stance and dash to the location I feel a small flare of energy. My fists hit flesh, not nearly hard enough. He laughs as he watches me struggle and flicks me to the side with his tail.

I collide with a rock and my body screams in agony. I rush back at him, I have to keep him from getting her. I don't know if she's running, all I can do is hope she is.

He wraps his tail around my throat and lifts me, squeezing painfully. I can't breathe and I claw desperately at the appendage. He laughs, his voice a grating irritation on my ears, before throwing me again. My vision begins to clear up, but I can't move. I need to get him, I need to stop him from absorbing her.

He grabs her, grinning. I crawl over and I grab his ankle roughly. He looks down at me and frowns, clearly frustrated, before crushing my hand with his foot. I scream and try to motion for Eighteen to take off, but she's frozen.

"Dammit, leave," I groan angrily, trying to get my hand out from under his foot.

She whimpers and Cell turns to her. Before I can blink, he has her. And I can't save her, I can't save any of us.

And if the thought of Cell's ultimate transformation wasn't traumatizing enough, then the sound of Android 18's muffled screams as she got absorbed topped the list. I look up at Cell from my spot by his feet and see his body flashing as it stretches and shrinks in different areas.

I jump back and land on my bottom by Android 16, speechless, trying not to scream. I can't believe what I'm seeing, even more so, what I'm feeling. His power level is overwhelming, his energy visible as it circles his body in a yellow glow.

Krillin lays in a pile of rubble with his mouth open, tears forming in his eyes. He grits his teeth and stands, gathering energy in his palm and shooting it in the form of a razor sharp disk at Cell's thick neck. It barely fazes him, he simply smiles at the small man, and hits him with his tail. Krillin flies through several mountains, and Trunks follows to give him a senzu quickly.

Cell turns to me next, and I stand, trying to will myself to fight, to not dissapoint anyone again. I grit my teeth, making sure Android 16 stays behind me and I launch at Cell, my punches only hitting air. He hits the side of my head, sending me flying into the mountain. My vision blurs and my body cries out at the pain. He walks over to me, pride in his walk.

"You see," he starts. "I'd absorb you if I weren't already perfect. So I think I'll just finish you off." He lifts his hand and ki gathers in his palm, preparing to hit me with it. I grit my teeth and prepare for the blast, I prepare for it all to end.

 _I'm sorry Mr. Kami, I failed..._

Piccolo stands at the edge of the lookout, his arms crossed and nails digging into his biceps. He grits his teeth and hears Bulma's voice grating against his sensitive eardrums. "Well, what's going on? Tell me!"

 _Maybe...maybe she can still make it out. She'll be fine, she's so strong now._

Kami's weak voice pleads in Piccolo's head, his own anxiety mingling with the other's.

 _I don't know, old man. It's not looking good._

"Piccolo!" Bulma shouts.

He looks at her, irritated. "Would you stop? I'm trying to concentrate." He really hadn't meant to shout, but he needed to concentrate on Sarada. Not only for Kami, but he actually cared for the kid. She had a tenacious spirit, even when the odds were stacked against her he knew she fought with everything she had, and she fought for her own reasons not others.

And he couldn't be more damn proud of her.

The light from Cell's palm was bright, as was the pain in my arm where it hit as i tried jumping to the side, bright red blood dripping down into the dirt. I panted and try to lift myself up again.

I grit my teeth and try to keep from passing out. I notice from the corner of my eye Android 16 trying to crawl over to us, but he can't make it, and I don't want him to. I won't let him get hurt on my watch.

"It must be real fun beating up on a female but I only let you reach your final form for myself, so get over here and fight me," Vegeta shouts.

 _Idiot!_

The bastard may as well be begging to be killed. Cell grins and walks toward the blonde, suicidal Saiyan, leaving me gripping my shoulder trying to stop blood from flowing too freely. I lift myself up and limp over toward Android 16, I can't fight this threat. I never could, it was foolish of me to try. I hadn't done enough, hadn't trained hard enough. I obviously didn't want it enough. And I won't be good enough.

I lifted him up gently, his body not seeming as heavy as it was earlier, hell I could barely feel my body at this point. I pant harshly, my vision blurring.

I drop Android 16 and he lands on the ground with a loud thud, and I fall to my hands and knees purging my stomach of whatever remained in it, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I could barely breathe and I faint, landing on my side, the world going black.

A/N: So like thanks so much for reading! :3

Please review and tell me what you think, I'd love to hear it!


	5. Chapter 5

_Meeting Piccolo for the first time had certainly been an experience. The guy was huge! Especially compared to my small, seven year old self._

 _It had been a rainy weekend at the lookout, and Mr. Kami was helping me with my studies._

" _Alright Sarada, now you simply have to add these two together and you'll get your answer," he said kindly, pointing to my paper._

 _I laughed happily. "I did it Mr. Kami! Wow, how do you know how to do this stuff?"_

 _He chuckles. "If you've been around as long as I've been you learn a few things."_

 _I jump up and giggle. "What else do you know sir?"_

 _He seems surprised. "I can teach you over time if you'd like," he offered._

 _I jumped up and down while smiling. "Yay, thank you so much," I say and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly._

 _He chuckles silently and gently wraps his arms around me. I look over toward the door and step back a bit, seeing a large shaded figure take up most of the doorframe._

 _Mr. Kami looks confused before his face clears, having sensed the man. Without turning he says, "how may I help you?"_

 _Piccolo grunts a bit and crosses his arms. I gulp and look at him fearfully. He has a deadly look on his face, which I find out later showed he was annoyed. His crossed arms look hard from what I assume to be years of work and he has skin the same shade as Mr. Kami's. He wears a turban and long white cloak, they looked weighted and I was curious as to why._

 _I whimpered a bit when he started talking. "Who's the kid?"_

 _Mr. Kami rose from his spot on the floor and stood next to me. Placing a gentle, comforting hand on my shoulder he said, "this is Sarada. I've cared for her since she was an infant."_

" _And just why the hell didn't I know about this?" he growls._

" _Because it wasn't relevant to anything we had discussed over that time." Mr. Kami looks down at me and says. "This is Piccolo, I've told you about him."_

 _I nod and step forward, bowing deeply. "H-hello sir, my name is Sa-"_

" _He just told me your name, kid," Piccolo growled._

 _I lifted from my bow and glared at him a bit. "My name is Sarada, sir," I said, defiantly._

 _He looks surprised before ignoring me and looking at Kami._

" _How long did you plan to keep this from me?" he asks._

 _Mr. Kami seems to ponder for a bit and chuckles. "When you grew up a bit."_

" _Listen old man, this is serious. How do you think the kid's friends will react knowi-"_

" _I don't have any friends," I say, interrupting Piccolo._

 _He looks down at me, startled. "What do you mean?"_

 _I look down at the ground and kick an imaginary speck of dirt, going red with embarrassment. "Well, I've thought about how awkward it would be having Mr. Kami taking care of me, and having friends. They can't know about my relationship with him, so I choose not to have any friends."_

" _And what about teachers?" he asks, quietly._

" _They don't know about Mr. Kami either. If there is ever parent conferences I just tell them he has work or he's sick."_

 _Piccolo is silent for a moment. "You seem mature. You remind me of someone else I know, kid."_

 _I look up at him, surprised. "What do y-"_

" _Do you have her training?" Piccolo asks Mr. Kami, ignoring me once again._

 _Mr. Kami shakes his head. "No, I'd rather she didn't have to grow up like that."_

" _I've asked though," I say. "I know about all of you and the Z warriors and stuff. I want to be able to fight like you."_

" _Now, Sarada I've told you. They do dangerous work, and what if yo-"_

" _But Gohan's still a kid and he's learning!" I argue._

" _Those are special circumstances," he says._

 _I glare at the ground and breathe out heavily. "Fine, then I can be a special circumstance," I say. Before he can say anything I begin again, "you've said I'm special. You've said I have the ability to fight but you refuse to let me learn! It's not fair!"_

" _Sarada I-"_

" _Please Mr. Kami, please. I want to be able to-"_

" _I said no, Sarada!" he shouts gripping his staff, shocking me._

 _I clench my hands and storm out of the room. Walking up to one of the pillars outside of the door, I look down at the fist I've made and punch the marble hard. I bite my lip to keep from shouting and grip my hand. Looking down I see purple bruises and a bit of blood on my knuckles and I look back up to see the marble has a tiny crack in it._

 _I sigh and lean against the wall by the doorframe. I can hear Mr. Kami's and Piccolo's conversation._

" _You can't protect her forever," Piccolo's gruff voice says. "You know what she is, it's in her blood to fight."_

 _I hear Mr. Kami sigh. "She's a child, Piccolo. I want her to have a childhood."_

" _No kid living around us is going to get a normal childhood. You've heard her, she wants to fight."_

 _They're silent for a few seconds._

" _What do you suggest then Piccolo?"_

" _I suggest you teach her to defend herself. She's going to end up in a battlefield whether you like it or not. Would you rather she died there?" Piccolo replies._

 _Mr. Kami sounds tired when he responds. "Fine, she will begin tomorrow."_

 _I sigh. Yeah of course he'd never…_

 _Wait what?!_

 _I turn and rush into the room, a look of disbelief on my face. Mr. Kami looks at me, startled before letting out a weary sigh._

" _I suppose you heard," he smiles sadly at me._

 _I nod and gulp. "Were you serious?"_

 _He nods grimly. I smile happily and rush up to hug him._

" _Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I say quickly. "I'll make you proud."_

 _He doesn't say anything and simply places a gentle hand on my shoulder._

 _I turn to Piccolo. "Thank you so much, sir," I bow hastily._

" _What for, kid?"_

" _Well, for-"_

" _I know why, just don't make it a waste of my effort," he says gruffly, and turned to walk out of the room. I watch him exit the room, and when he's gone it seems a bit brighter. Less tense._

 _I look up at Mr. Kami and his face seems more strained than normal._

" _Hey, sir?" I say, timidly._

 _He looks down at me and smiles thinly. "Yes, Sarada?"_

" _You don't have to be worried about me. I can do this, and I'll make you proud of me. You'll see!"_

 _He looks surprised and sits down so he can hug me tightly on my own level. His thin arms encircle me and he holds me tightly. "I'm already so proud of you," he whispers. "I'll always be proud of you."_

 _I hug him back and smile. "I love you Kami."_

My eyes open.

Hey there guys, Max here! So, in case you couldn't tell this is a flashback-dream sort of thing from Sarada's point of view. Her first time meeting Piccolo! Don't ask why it's been seven years since she started living with Mr. Kami and since she met Piccolo, I'm not a good writer haha.

Anyway, so I'd love you feedback and any idea for the story! Thank you so much!

Mad Max out! 3


End file.
